Slab straightening



July 9, 1963 H. w. HOLSTEYN SLAB STRAIGHTENING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1961 July 9, 1963 H. w. HOLSTEYN SLAB STRAIGHTENING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1961 s l l l Ilvill Fllllllllll HEM? v W flu s 7: WV

July 9, 1963 H. w. HOLSTEYN SLAB STRAIGHTENING Filed Jan. 16, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 6v Arm United States Patent 3,096,808 SLAB STIGHTENING Henry W. Holsteyn, End St, Johannesburg, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 82,919 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa Jan- 15, 1960 Claims. (Cl. 153-48) This invention relates to the straightening of material in the form of slabs such as cast slabs used as anodes in the electrolytic refining of copper.

Copper slabs for use as anodes are generally conveyed in trucks in which they are stacked vertically and suitably spaced apart. The problem is to remove them from the trucks, straighten them and replace them in the trucks. Various solutions to the problem have been proposed but they are all too expensive or too cumbersome to perform satisfactorily.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means for straightening copper slabs for use as anodes.

In a method according to the invention a slab is elevated with its general plane substantially vertical, held in such elevated position, pressed to straighten it, and then lowered back to its original position.

Thus when the slabs are conveyed by truck, as described above, each truck is moved step by step for each slab contained in it to be removed, straightened and replaced. Conveniently the slabs are elevated by lugs which are cast on to them or otherwise suitable formations are provided on the slabs.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises a press with its platten and bed horizontally opposed and mounted for a truck to move underneath it; an elevator adapted to grasp a slab in a truck, lift the slab, position it between the platten and bed, lower the slab and release it in lowered position; and means to cause the platten to operate when the slab is positioned and to withdraw the platten prior to lowering of the slab.

Preferably the invention also comprises means to move the truck step-by-step under the press in step with the sequence of operations of the elevator and platten.

The invention is further discussed hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an anode straightening installation according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, FIGURE 3 is a view of the elevator, FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the elevator showing the elevator in a different position to that of FIG- -URE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing details of a feature of the invention, and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of part of FIGURE 2 showing certain parts in a different position.

The installation shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 has a substantial, rigid frame 10 that straddles a railway track having rails 11. Trucks 12 and 13 containing anodes to be straightened run along the rails 11.

On top of the frame 10 an elevator mechanism and various press mechanisms are mounted.

The first press mechanism is the main straightening press which is hydraulically operated and which has a platten 14 horizontally opposed to a bed 15. The hydraulic cylinder of the main press is marked 16. Motive fluid for the press is derived from a suitable motor and pump assembly not relevant to the present discussion.

A hydraulic elevator is mounted with its plane of operation just in front of the bed. The elevator has a yoke 17 guided for straight line motion by means of guide rods 18 and also by means of suitable guides 19 on the 3 0'9 6 ,8 0 8 Patented July 9, 1963 frame 10. The yoke 17 is moved up and down by means of a piston rod 20' connected to the piston of a doubleacting hydraulic jack 21. The yoke thus moves up or down depending on which side of the jack 21 pressure fluid is obtaining access.

The elevator structure is illustrated on a larger scale in FIGURES 3 and 4 where two positions of the yoke 17 are illustrated. At each of its ends the yoke 17 has two hooks 22 pivotally connected to the yoke 17 by means of links 23. Each inner link 23 is pivotally connected to a connecting rod 24 which in turn is pivotally connected to a toggle 25 secured to a pin 26 on the piston rod 20. The pin 26 engages in a slot 27 on the yoke 17 so that the yoke and the rod 20 can have lost motion one with the other.

Starting from the position shown in FIGURE 4, the hooks 22 are in their widest position and clear of the guides 19. As the rod 20 pulls upwardly the pin 26 first travels the length of the slot 27 and thus pulls the hooks inwardly. When the pin 26 reaches the end of the slot 27, the rod 26: starts to lift the yoke 17.

The usual shape of a cast anode 30 has been illustrated in the drawings. When the hooks 22 move inwardly they engage under lugs 29 cast on to the anode 30, provided that the anode 39 is initially in the correct position. Thus by pulling the rod 20 upwardly the hooks move from the position shown in FIGURE 4 to the position shown in FIGURE 3 and at the same time the anode 30 is carried upwardly.

On the downstroke of the rod 20 the yoke 17 moves down until the hooks 22 are free of the guides when the downward movement stops and the hooks 22 are pushed sideways.

The position shown in FIGURE 3 represents the upper limit of the stroke of the rod 20 and the position in FIG- URE 4 the lower limit.

When an anode 30 is in the position shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the cylinder 16 is fed with pressure fluid for the platten 14 to push the anode 30 against the bed 15 and thus straighten the anode 30.

In the straightening process the lugs 29' are moved off the hooks 22 on to anvils 28 on the same level as the hooks 22. In order to get the anode 30 back on to the hooks 22, the platten 14 is provided with hook formations 31 that pass over theanode 30' and contact it at the rear. Thus as the platten 14 moves back, it pulls the anode 30 back on to the hooks 22.

However, before the latter operation it is desirable to square up the lugs 29 to fit into holders provided in electrolytic cells. To enable the squaring up operation to take place without undue strain, the platten 14 is moved back a small distance to that the anode 39 hangs freely on the anvils 28. Thereafter plungers 32 for squaring up the horizontal faces of the lugs move down under the action of hydraulic cylinders 33. On one side the plunger 32 is provided with a tongue that trues a groove cast into the relevant lug 29. The groove is required for making electrical connections in the subsequent electrolytic operations.

With the plungers 32 still in position, horizontal plungers 34 actuated by hydraulic cylinders 35 move to square the lugs 29 in the other dimension against the face of the bed 15.

The lugs now being of a suitable shape, the plungers 32 and 34 are withdrawn and in that sequence. Thereafter the platten 14 is moved back to its starting position and thus by means of the hook formations 31 pulls the lugs 29 on to the hooks 22.

The jack 21 is then actuated to lower the yoke 17 and deposit the anode 30 in the truck below. The hooks then free the lugs 22 as shown in FIGURE 4. The truck may now be moved until the next anode 30 is in register of the hooks. The yoke is then lifted again for the books 22 to accesses -35 grab the next anode 30 and bring it into the straightening position. Thereafter the procedure described above is repeated.

As pointed out above in connection with the elevator, the anodes should be correctly positioned. Normally anodes are conveyed in trucks which have notches for positioning the anodes an equal distance apart in the truck. Thus any system for moving the truck step by step below the elevator would be suitable for use with the apparatus thus far described.

'A convenient form of indexing means provided by the invention 'is illustrated in the drawings. The only alteration made to a conventional truck is the addition of an indexing plate 40. This plate cooperates with two notched nails '41 and 42 which are journalled for rotation below the truck. Crank arms 43 are connected to the rails and pivoted to the plunger of a double acting ram 45. The arms 43 rotate in unison so that when the rail 41 has a notch engaging with the plate 40, the notches of the rail 42 are freeof the plate 40 and vice versa. FIGURE 2 shows the rails 41, 42 in one position and FIGURE 6 shows them on a larger scale in the other position. One mail 42 is also capable of recipro-catory movement the direction of its length by means of the hydraulic ram 46.

'Phe-cycleof operations is as follows. The rail 41 normally engages the plate while the press mechanism is operating as in'BIGURE 2. When a new anode is to be pressed, the nails are rotated for the mail 41 to disengage the plate 40 and the rail 42 to engage the plate 40 as in FIGURE -6. The hydraulic 46 now actuates a pusher which'moves the rail 42 forward. At the end of the forward stroke the nails are rotated in the opposite direction for the mail 41 to re-engage the plate 40 and the rail 42.

The mam 45 isagain actuated to return the rail 42 to its initial position in the axial direction.

When a truck in a tnain has passed through, its plate 40 depresses a-switch which actuates a transfer member 51, that lifits up and presses against the plate 40 of the next truck in a train to push the train forward the distance between the last anode of one truck and the first anode of another truck.

Admission of pressure fluid to the hydraulic cylinders may take place by manual operation. In this case suitable interlocks maybe provided to ensure actuation in the correct sequence. It is, however, preferred that the opera tions should-proceed on an automatically timed cycle with suitable interlocks between the various elements. The method and means for an automatic timing cycle in hydnaulic apparatus are well known and need no further elabonation. In the ease of automatic operation a sensing device such as that shown at 50 in FIGURE 2 is required to shut off a cycle of operations when a train has passed through.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for straightening a slab such as an anode of cast copper comprising a press with its platten and bed horizontally opposed and mounted for a truck to move underneath it; an elevator adapted to grasp a slab in a truck, litt the slab, position andhold it between the platten and bed, lower the slab and release it in lowered position; and means to cause the platten to operate when the slab is positioned and to withdraw the platten prior to lowering of the slab.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in combination with means tomovea truck step by step under the press in step the sequence of operations of the elevator and pl atten.

3. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the elevator-has a forked lifting arm adapted to straddle the slab and provided with suitable formations to engage with complemental formations on the'slab.

4. The elevator claimed in claim 3 in which the lifting arm-consists in a yoke with hooks pivoted at each end of the yoke being the engaging formations, and including a hydraulic ram with its piston connected to the yoke, the

4 rod having lost motion withthe yoke and including links between the rod and the hooks for the rod to move the hooks during periods of lost motion.

5. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 adapted for use on cast anodes with lugs, including means to square up the lugs.

6. The apparatus claimed in claim 5 in which the squar. ing means includes an anvil rigid with the bed, and auxiliary plungers adapted to press the lugs against the anvil and the bed.

7. Appamatus for straightening a slab of substantially rectangular shape with lugs projecting in opposite directions from adjacent corners, consisting in means to move a series of slabs step by step in series past a station with each slab substantially in a vertical plane and the lugs projecting from the top corners of the slabs; a press with its platten and bed horizontally opposed and positioned above the station; an elevator adapted to grasp the lugs of a slab positioned at the station, lift the slab, position the slab between the platten and bed, lower the slab and release it in lowered position; and means to cause the platten to operate when the slab is in position and to withdraw the platten prior to lowering of the slab.

8. Apparatus for straightening a slab of substantially rectangular shape with lugs projecting in opposite directions from adjacent corners, consisting in a press with its platten and bed horizontally opposed; an elevator having a lifting arm adapted to straddle a slab positioned below the press and grasp it by its lugs, the elevator serving to grasp a slab, lift the slab, position and hold the slab between the platten and bed, lower the slab and release the slab in lowered position; and means to cause the platten to operate when the slab is positioned between the platten and the bed and to withdraw the platten prior to lowering of the slab.

9. In combination a frame adapted to straddle a truck on a railway line; a press mounted on the frame with its bed rigid with the frame and in a vertical plane and a hydraulically actuated platten horizontally opposed to the bed; a hydraulic jack mounted above the space between the platten and the bed with its piston rod adapted to pass through the space; a yoke on the rod; means to guide the yoke for movement in a vertical plane traversing the space and parallel to the end, the yoke being movable between an upper position in which it is clear of the space and a lower position below the space; and hooks at the end of the yoke adapted to grasp a slab in a truck when the yoke is in the lower position to hold such slab as the yoke moves under the action of the rod and to release the slab when the yoke returns to the lower position.

10. The combination claimed in claim 9 in which the hooks are pivoted on the yoke and there is lost motion between the yoke and the rod, and including a linkage between the rod and the hooks for the rod to move the hooks during periods of lost motion.

11. The combination claimed in claim 9 in which the path of movement is spaced from the bed and movement of the platten is adapted to move a slab out of engagement with the books, including an anvil for receiving lugs on the slab and to support the slab during pressing and hook formations on the platten extending around the space, the hook formations being adapted to pull the slabs off the anvils into engagement with the hooks on the return stroke of the platten.

12. The combination claimed hydraulic presses adapted to square them up on the anvil.

13. In combination a frame adapted to straddle a truck on a railway line; a press mounted with its bed rigid with the frame and in a vertical plane and its platten horizontally opposed to the bed; a yoke guided for movement in the space between the platten and the bed between a lower position below the space and an upper position above the space; hooks at the ends of the yoke arranged to close inwardly to grasp an article between them in claim 11 including press against the lugs to upon initiation of upward movement of the yoke and to remain closed while the yoke is moving and to open when the yoke reaches its lower position from the upper position; and means to raise and lower the yoke.

14. The combination claimed in claim 13 in which the means to raise and lower the yoke is a rod connected to the yoke with lost motion and including links between the rod and the hooks for transmitting movement of the rod from the rod to the hooks during periods of lost motion.

15. A method of straightening slabs such as anodes of cast copper consisting in conveying the slabs in a series one by one past a straightening station, and at the straightening station removing each sla'b in turn from the series by elevating it with its general plane substantially vertical, holding the slab in such elevated position, pressing it to straighten it and lowering it back to its original position in the series, the slab being kept in the same general plane whilst being elevated, pressed and low- 5 ered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,889,521 Anthony et a1 Nov. 29, 1932 10 2,185,381 Munch et al. Jan. 2, 1940 3,051,216 Tomka et a1. Aug. 28, '1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,739 Australia Aug. 27, 1931 745,003 France Jan. 31, 1933 

1. APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING A SLAB SUCH AS AN ANODE OF CAST COPPER COMPRISING A PRESS WITH ITS PLATTEN AND BED HORIZONTALLY OPPOSED AND MOUNTED FRO A TRUCK TO MOVE UNDERNEATH IT; AN ELEVATOR ADAPTED TO GRASP A SLAB IN A TRUCK, LIFT THE SLAB, POSITION AND HOLD IT BETWEEN THE PLATTEN AND BED, LOWER THE SLAB AND RELEASE IT IN LOWERED POSITION; AND MEANS TO CAUSE THE PLATTEN TO OPERATE WHEN THE SLAB IS POSITIONED AND TO WITHDRAW THE PLATTEN PRIOR TO LOWERING OF THE SLAB. 